Departments: Carbon Emissions

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what methodology is used by her Department to account for its carbon emissions.

Angela Smith: Communities and Local Government calculates its carbon emissions from buildings by establishing energy consumption in kilowatt hours, through either automated meter reads, manual meter reads or utility billing information. The resultant energy consumption figures are then multiplied by the relevant carbon emission factors.
	All carbon conversion factors are provided by the Department for the Environment and Rural Affairs, and the resultant emissions data are submitted to the Sustainable Development Commission as part of the Sustainable Development in Government Report. Last year's report is available on the Sustainable Development Commission's Sustainable Development in Government (SDiG) Report 2006 website:
	http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/sdig2006/.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 22 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1178W, on the Olympic Games: Greater London, on what date discussions of VAT with HM Treasury in relation to the proposed Olympic Delivery Authority  (a) commenced and  (b) concluded.

Tessa Jowell: I refer the hon. Member to the statement I made to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee on 21 November 2006, reported in paragraphs 48 to 50 of the Committee's report, published on 24 January 2007. Where I stated that it was known at the time of the bid that the bid did not include VAT. The basis for that was the understood and agreed assumption that it was not possible to sort out the tax treatment until the delivery structures were in place, and that matter could not be known before the bid was won. This issue was taken forward as part of the cost review work, and I announced the VAT position in respect of the Olympic Delivery Authority in my statement to the House on 15 March 2007.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what consideration was given to matters of specifically Scottish interest when drafting the terms of reference of the Olympic cost review steering group;
	(2)  what provision is made for consideration of impacts on Scotland in the contractual specification and terms of reference governing KPMG's provision of on-going advice on the cost of the Olympic games in 2012.

Tessa Jowell: After winning the bid to host the 2012 Olympic games, I instituted a thorough cost review. This cost review, to which KPMG provided advice, was overseen by the Olympic cost review steering group.
	No specific assessment of the interests or impact to Scotland formed part of the drafting of the terms of reference of the Olympic cost review steering group, or the contractual specification and terms of reference governing KPMG's provision of on-going advice on the cost of the Olympic and Paralympic games.
	The Government are committed to ensuring that people across the UK, including Scotland can benefit from, and participate in, the 2012 Olympic games and Paralympic games. We are working closely with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic games and Paralympic games (LOCOG) and the Nations and Regions Group (NRG), chaired by Charles Alien, which brings together representatives from every Nation and region. Each Nation and region is finalising its own plan to maximise the impact of the games in their area, as well as the wider opportunities to deliver a sustainable legacy from the games.
	Further detailed information regarding Scotland's plan can be provided by the relevant NRG Coordinator, Ian Campbell (Scottish Executive, Sports Division, Room 1-B(N), Victoria Quay, Edinburgh, EH6 6QQ).
	In addition, Hampden Park in Glasgow will host group stages of the Olympic football competition. This will add significant strength to Scotland's potential to benefit from the games.

Biodiversity

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what percentage of  (a) priority habitats and  (b) priority species under the Biodiversity Action Plan are decreasing; and which habitats and species are involved.

Barry Gardiner: There are 373 single species action plans and 45 habitat actions plans under the UK biodiversity action plan. These are referred to as the priority species and habitats. Reporting on the status and trends of these priorities is done every three years. The latest available figures are for 2005. The next and final figures before the 2010 biodiversity target will be made available in February 2009. In 2005, the information below was reported:
	175 species (47 per cent.) are either increasing or are stable, which is an improvement on the 2002 figures. Similarly, the number of species assessed as 'declining or lost' fell between 2002 and 2005. For habitats, 35 per cent. are now increasing or stable.
	102 species (27 per cent.) are thought to be declining, but the decline is slowing for 36 species (10 per cent.). Although 17 habitats (39 per cent .) are thought to be declining, this decline is slowing for 11 habitats (25 per cent.).
	 Declining habitats
	Chalk rivers;
	Coastal and floodplain grazing marsh;
	Littoral and sublittoral chalk;
	Sheltered muddy gravels;
	Modiolus modiolus beds;
	Coastal saltmarsh.
	 Declining habitats but slowing
	Fens;
	Lowland dry acid grassland;
	Purple moor grass and rush pastures;
	Eutrophic standing waters;
	Blanket bog;
	Lowland wood-pasture and parkland;
	Upland hay meadows;
	Upland calcareous grassland;
	Lowland calcareous grassland;
	Lowland meadows;
	Limestone pavements;
	
		
			  Declining species  
			 Thlaspi perfoliatum Cotswold Pennycress 
			 Silene gallica Small-flowered Catchfly 
			 Ranunculus tripartitus Three-lobed Water-crowfoot 
			 Pyrrhula pyrrhula Bullfinch 
			 Pallavicinia lyellii Veilwort 
			 Orthotnchum pallens Pale Bristle-moss 
			 Mentha pulegium Pennyroyal 
			 Luronium natans Floating Water Plantain 
			 Liparis loeselii Fen Orchid 
			 Limoniscus violaceus Violet Click Beetle 
			 Juncus pygmaeus Pygmy Rush 
			 Idaea ochrata cantiata Bright Wave 
			 Harpalus froelichi a Ground Beetle 
			 Gentianella uliginosa Dune Gentian 
			 Galium tricornutum Corn Cleavers 
			 Galeopsis angustifolia Red Hemp-nettle 
			 Formica candida Black bog ant 
			 Ditrichum plumbicola Lead-moss 
			 Cicindela sylvatica Heath Tiger Beetle 
			 Cerastium nigrescens Shetland Mouse-ear 
			 Bidessus unistriatus a Diving Beetle 
			 Anostirus castaneus Chestnut coloured click beetle 
			 Eunicella verrucosa Pink Sea-fan 
			 Zygodon gracilis Nowell's Limestone Moss 
			 Weissia multicapsularis Moss 
			 Tetrao tetrix Black Grouse 
			 Streptopelia turtur Turtle Dove 
			 Squamarina lentigera Scaly Breck-Lichen 
			 Sium latifolium Greater Water Parsnip 
			 Sciurus vulgaris Red Squirrel 
			 Schismatomma graphidioides a Lichen 
			 Rheumaptera hastate Argent and sable 
			 Raja batis Common Skate 
			 Potamogeton compressus Grass-wrack Pondweed 
			 Oria musculosa Brighton Wainscot 
			 Muscicapa striata Spotted Flycatcher 
			 Miliaria calandra Corn Bunting 
			 Melanitta nigra Common Scoter 
			 Margaritifera margaritifera Freshwater Pearl Mussel 
			 Lycopodiella inundata Marsh Clubmoss 
			 Lycia zonaria britannica Belted Beauty 
			 Linnaea borealis Twinflower 
			 Leptopsammia pruvoti Sunset Cup Coral 
			 Leptodontium gemmascens Thatch Moss 
			 Juniperus communis Juniper 
			 Jodia croceago Orange Upperwing 
			 Hydroporus rufifrons a Diving Beetle 
			 Heliophobus reticulata Bordered Gothic 
			 Formica rufibarbis Red Barbed Ant 
			 Donacia bicolora a Reed Beetle 
			 Damasonium alisma Starfruit 
			 Cotoneaster integerrimus Wild Cotoneaster 
			 Chrysotoxum octomaculatum a Hoverfly 
			 Chaenotheca phaeocephala a Lichen 
			 Carduelis cannabina Linnet 
			 Caloplaca luteoalba Orange-Fruited Elm-lichen 
			 Calicium corynellum a Lichen 
			 Bryoria smithii a Lichen 
			 Boloria euphrosyne Pearl-bordered Fritillary 
			 Bidessus minutissimus a Diving Beetle 
			 Austropotamobius pajlipes Freshwater White-clawed Crayfish 
			 Aspitates gilvaria gilvaria Straw Belle 
			 Anisus vorticulus Ramshorn snail 
			 Alauda arvensis Skylark 
			 Acrocephalus palustris Marsh Warbler 
		
	
	
		
			  Declining species but slowing  
			 Zygaena loti scotica Slender Scotch Burnet 
			 Wqodsia ilvensis Qblong Woodsia 
			 Triturus cristatus Great Crested newt 
			 Tolypella intricata Tassel Stonewort 
			 Segmenting nitida Shining ram's-horn snail 
			 Pqtamogetqn rutilus Shetland Pondweed 
			 Polia bombycina Pale Shining Brown 
			 Plebejus argus Silver-studded Blue 
			 Perdix perdix Grey Partridge 
			 Pechipogo strigilata Common Fan-foot 
			 Ostrea edulis Native Oyster 
			 Osmia xanthomelana a Mason Bee 
			 Odontomyia hydroleon a Soldierfly 
			 Muscardinus avellanarius Dormouse 
			 Mejiicta athaila Heath Fritillary 
			 Lejeunea mandonii Atlantic lejeunea 
			 Jynx torquilla Wryneck 
			 Hemaris tityus Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk-moth 
			 Hammerschmidtia ferruginea a Hoverfly 
			 Graphoderus zonatus Spangled Water Beetle 
			 Formica exsecta Narrow-headed Ant 
			 Eurodryas aurinia Marsh Fritillary 
			 Eristalis cryptarum Bog hoverfly 
			 Enterographa elaborate New Forest beech-lichen 
			 Dicycla oo Heart Moth 
			 Coiietes floralis The Northern Colletes 
			 Cqenagrion mercuriale Southern Damselfly 
			 Cephaloziella nicholsonii Greater Copperwort 
			 Carterocephalus palaemon Chequered Skipper 
			 Bufo calamita Natterjack Toad 
			 Athetis paijustris Marsh Moth 
			 Asparagus officinalis ssp. prostratus Wild Asparagus 
			 Asilus crabroniformis Hornet robberfly 
			 Arvicola terrestris Water Vole 
			 Argynnis adippe High Brown Fritillary 
			 Agabus brunneus a Diving Beetle

Departments: Guildford

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions his Department and its representatives have had with Guildford borough council on placing tree protection orders on trees at the Department's site at Epsom road, Guildford.

Barry Gardiner: The Department and its agent has had extensive discussions with Guildford borough council's Trees and Woodlands Officer. The officer is satisfied that there is no threat to the trees under the Department's planning proposal and no Tree Preservation Orders have been made.

Fisheries

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what consideration he has given to instituting a days at sea formula for the inshore under 10 metre fleet fishing inside the 12 mile limit.

Ben Bradshaw: The issue of the application of days at sea limits to under 10 metre vessels has already been considered in the context of the cod recovery plan. The conclusion at Community level, was that this was not appropriate, since the large number of these vessels in the UK and other fleets, made both the administration and enforcement of the controls potentially extremely difficult and resource intensive. We were supportive of this line and remain so.

Fly Tipping: Greater London

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many incidents of fly-tipping were reported in each London borough in each of the last four years; and what the estimated cost was of dealing with such incidents;
	(2)  how many  (a) prosecutions and  (b) successful prosecutions there were in each London borough for fly-tipping in each year since 2004; and how much has been recovered through related fines in each London borough.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 5 June 2007
	Flycapture, the national fly-tipping database was set up in 2004 by DEFRA, the Environment Agency and the Local Government Association, to record the number of fly-tipping incidents dealt with by the Environment Agency and local authorities.
	The following tables show the number of incidents and prosecutions recorded by each local authority in Greater London on Flycapture for 2004-2005 and 2005-06. Data recorded in square brackets have been reported by the Environment Agency, who deal only with larger-scale fly-tipping incidents. Data for 2006-2007 are not yet available but will be published in the summer.
	Flycapture does not record details of any costs awarded to local authorities by courts following successful prosecutions.
	
		
			  Greater London Flycapture  d ata for 2004-05 
			  London borough  Total number of incidents  Estimated clearance costs recorded  Number of prosecutions taken to court  Number of successful prosecutions 
			 Corporation of London 171 9,132 0 0 
			 London Borough of Barking and Dagenham No Data Supplied (11) No Data Supplied (2,841.83) No Data Supplied No Data Supplied 
			 London Borough of Barnet 5,726 (14) 273,780 (4,050) 16 15 
			 London Borough of Bexley Council 175 (5) 263,90 (1,170) 0 0 
			 London Borough of Brent 969 (17) 33,037 (2,625) 0 0 
			 London Borough of Bromley 1,913 (5) 157,848.31 (635) 0 0 
			 London Borough of Camden 24,287 (2) 704,323 (150) 0 0 
			 London Borough of Croydon 6,801 (5) 427,877 (505) 2 2 
			 London Borough of Ealing 1,848 (13) 52,375 (2,102.50) 0 0 
			 London Borough of Enfield 2,509 (91 122,050 (1,920) 9 9 
			 London Borough of Greenwich 156 14) 17,930 (325) 4 4 
			 London Borough of Hackney 63 (8) 1,827 (865) 2 2 
			 London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham 8,099 (7) 381,327 (1,527.50) 0 0 
			 London Borough of Haringey 52,006 (2) 1,508,358 (210) 1 1 
			 London Borough of Harrow 248 (8) 8,333 (775) 0 0 
			 London Borough of Havering 4,943 (6) 284,200 (580) 0 0 
			 London Borough of Hillingdon 2,128 (11) Data not Supplied (4,592.31) 4 (2) 2 (2) 
			 London Borough of Hounslow 5,824 (9) 151,929 (1,625) 0 (1) 0 (1) 
			 London Borough of Islington 5,196 (5) 232,872 (557.50) 2 2 
			 London Borough of Lambeth 13,783 (2) 404,591 (150) 24 24 
			 London Borough of Lewisham 20,171 (4) 1 ,441 ,300 (350) 48 47 
			 London Borough of Merton 5,155 (8) 272769 (585) 5 5 
			 London Borough of Newham 9,069 (11) 584,741 (1,532.50) 0 0 
			 London Borough of Redbridge 5,864 (5) 299,575 (640) 2 2 
			 London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames 899 (2) 39,91 1 (355) 0 0 
			 London Borough of Southwark 23,006 (1) 994,263 (360) 40 34 
			 London Borough of Sutton 227 (5) 13,319 (583.56) 0 0 
			 London Borough of Tower Hamlets 3,109 (6) 144,998 (862.50) 0 0 
			 London Borough of Waltham Forest 8,304 (7) 539,174 (647.50) 1 1 
			 London Borough of Wandsworth No Data Supplied No Data Supplied No Data Supplied No Data Supplied 
			 Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea 39,677 1,428,542 6 6 
			 Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames No Data Supplied (1) No Data Supplied (105) No Data Supplied No Data Supplied 
			 Westminster City Council 8295 (2) 338,678 (210) 0 0 
			 Totals 260,621 10,895,449.31 166 156 
			 EA Totals 195 33,707.70 3 3 
		
	
	
		
			  Greater London Flycapture  d ata for 2005-06 
			  London borough  Total number of incidents  Estimated clearance costs recorded  Number of prosecutions taken to court  Number of successful prosecutions 
			 Corporation of London 675 31,899 0 0 
			 London Borough of Barking and Dagenham 3,481 (1) 234,117 9 8 
			 London Borough of Barnet 4,843 (7) 236,961(3,750) 32 (1) 32 (1) 
			 London Borough of Bexley Council 407 (2) 43,809 (187.50) 0 0 
			 London Borough of Brent 5,233 (4) 311,456 1 1 
			 London Borough of Bromley 4,697 (2) 342,797.90 0 0 
			 London Borough of Camden 170,28 (1) 493,812 (75) 6 6 
			 London Borough of Croydon 8,355 (2) 372,734 (75) 3 3 
			 London Borough of Baling 9,044 (8) 263,076 (150) 0 0 
			 London Borough of Enfield 5,772 (11) 312,835 (6,750) 4 (7) 4 (7) 
			 London Borough of Greenwich 3,233 (2) 124,582 (280) 8 8 
			 London Borough of Hackney 770 (2) 2,5508 (300) 1 1 
			 London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham 6,017 (1) 528,014 0 0 
			 London Borough of Haringey 63,767 (3) 1,849,243 (150) 11 11 
			 London Borough of Harrow 3,843 (4) 171,150 0 0 
			 London Borough of Havering 9,629 (3) 529,783 (150) 0 0 
			 London Borough of Hillingdon 2,384 (4) 14,596 (225) 39 (2) 39 (2) 
			 London Borough of Hounslow 7,345 (4) 210,972 (375) 0 0 
			 London Borough of Islington 8,812 (2) 459,431 16 16 
			 London Borough of Lambeth 10,434 (2) 307,672 (75) 31 31 
			 London Borough of Lewisham 18,987 (3) 941,536 (215) 64 64 
			 London Borough of Merton 3,330 (3) 190,121 (225) 9 9 
			 London Borough of Newham 3,527 401,100 0 0 
			 London Borough of Redbridge 4,455 184,582 6 6 
			 London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames 1,771 (1) 95,709 (75) 0 0 
			 London Borough of Southwark 24,852 (1) 1 ,089,995 49 39 
			 London Borough of Sutton 2,762 (2) 152,555 (70) 5 5 
			 London Borough of Tower Hamlets 5,681 (1) 217,502 (75) 4 4 
			 London Borough of Waltham Forest 8,566 (2) 385,563 (75) 0 0 
			 London Borough of Wandsworth 166,195 (1) 3,655,746 8 8 
			 Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea 58,374 1 ,876,596 2 2 
			 Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames No Data Supplied No Data Supplied No Data Supplied No Data Supplied 
			 Westminster City Council 10,365 (2) 420,222 0 0 
			 Total 484,634 16,475,674.9 308 297 
			 EA Totals 81 13,277.50 10 10

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he plans to answer the letter dated 27 April from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on Ms Wendy Owen.

Ben Bradshaw: I apologise for the delay in replying to the right hon. Member's letter. A response was issued on 8 June.

Smoking: Public Places

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate his Department and its agencies have made of the likely effect of the public smoking ban on levels of cigarette litter in public places.

Ben Bradshaw: Smoking-related litter is one of the most prevalent types of litter. Each of the last three local environmental quality surveys of England showed that smokers' materials were present on 79 per cent. of survey sites. Without action, the introduction of smoke free legislation in July this year is likely to increase this problem. However, the Government are taking steps to tackle this form of littering through a combination of regulatory options, partnership work, guidance and awareness-raising.
	Smoking-related materials were clarified as litter in the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005, in order to encourage greater enforcement against this offence. Street litter control notices may also be issued by local authorities where there is a significant problem with litter on the street. Notices can be used to place requirements on the occupiers (or owners) of premises to take steps to reduce litter outside their premises, such as the installation of litter bins.
	Following a consultation that closed on the 8 May, DEFRA is also extending these provisions to allow notices to be issued for eating and drinking establishments where food is consumed on the premises. A legislative opportunity will be sought to extend the list of premises further to include office buildings, aimed particularly at helping to deal with smoking litter dropped by customers and employees. This forms part of a package of tools already available to local authorities for tackling litter problems, including the use of on-the-spot fixed penalty notices for individuals caught dropping litter.
	In order to raise public awareness, the Keep Britain Tidy Campaign, run by Environmental Campaigns (ENCAMS), launched a poster campaign earlier this month to encourage all smokers and businesses to take responsibility for cigarette ends, with posters appearing on bus stops, billboards and telephone boxes across England. A number of councils across the country are supporting the campaign.

Pakistan: Politics and Government

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking to urge the Pakistani authorities to address extremism and threats to religious minorities.

Kim Howells: As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and President Musharraf reiterated in their joint declaration in November 2006, the UK and Pakistan share a common agenda to promote enlightened moderation and to combat the forces of extremism. To this end, the two leaders agreed to support civil society and youth interaction between Pakistan and the UK. We fully appreciate the personal risks taken by President Musharraf when he took his position against extremism.
	Bilaterally and together with EU partners, we continue to regularly raise our concerns with the government of Pakistan over the situation of religious minorities. My right hon. Friend the Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs (Mr. McCartney) also raised this issue in correspondence with the Pakistani Prime Minister in February.

Asylum

David Heyes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when a decision will be made in the case of Mr. Minnain Privat Aristide Henri's outstanding asylum application, which was submitted in March 2004.

Liam Byrne: The Border and Immigration Agency wrote separately to the hon. Member in relation to this matter on 7 June 2007.

Asylum: East Sussex

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers are living in  (a) Eastbourne and  (b) East Sussex.

Liam Byrne: Statistics on the location of asylum seekers in the UK are linked to the available information on the support that the asylum seeker receives.
	The following table shows the number of asylum seekers recorded as receiving asylum support in Eastbourne and the local authorities within East Sussex as at the end of March 2007. This figure excludes those asylum seekers who are living in these local authorities but are not receiving support.
	The numbers of asylum seekers in receipt of support, broken down by Government office region and local authority, are published on a quarterly and annual basis. Copies of these publications are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
	Further breakdowns, of those in receipt of support, by parliamentary constituency are also available from the Library of the House.
	
		
			  Local authority  In dispersed accommodation  In receipt of subsistence only support  Total in receipt of support 
			 righton and Hove 15 40 55 
			 Eastbourne — 20 20 
			 Hastings 60 — 60 
			 Lewes — — — 
			 Rother — — — 
			 Wealden — — — 
			 Total 75 60 135 
			  Note: All figures are rounded to the nearest 5.

Asylum: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of failed asylum seekers were removed from Northern Ireland in each of the last six years.

Liam Byrne: As the Home Secretary set out in his evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee on 23 May 2006, following the dismantling of embarkation controls beginning in 1994, no government has been able to produce an accurate figure for the number of people who are in the country illegally, and that remains the case. The Home Secretary has set a clear goal of reintroducing systems to count everyone in and out of Britain.

Departments: Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Government have a strategy to protect Government websites from  (a) denial of service and  (b) other cyber attacks.

Tony McNulty: The Government's Central Sponsor for Information Assurance within the Cabinet Office is responsible for the Government's strategy to protect the public sector and those services forming the Critical National Infrastructure from cyber attacks.
	CESG (the Information Assurance arm of GCHQ) is the National Technical Authority for Information Assurance and develops government advice for protecting data in partnership with the Central Sponsor for Information Assurance and advises on its implementation. CESG manages the Government's UK computer emergency response team heads of Departments and agencies are individually responsible for engaging with CSIA/CESG to ensure that appropriate measures are in place to protect against any risks to business continuity.

Departments: Telephone Services

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many telephone helplines are sponsored by his Department with the prefix  (a) 0870 and  (b) 0845; and whether alternative geographic numbers are available in each case.

Liam Byrne: The number of telephone lines with the prefix 0870 and 0845 used by the Home Office, was printed in answer to a question from the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 8 June 2007,  Official Report, column 672W. Of the 63 listed, 27 (42.9 per cent.) have geographic alternatives.

Departments: Westminster City Council

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which grants for which his Department is responsible have been made to Westminster city council in each year since 1997-98; and what the value was of each grant.

Liam Byrne: The grants made to Westminster city council in each year since 1997-98 by this Department, as recorded by the council in the Communities and Local Government Revenue returns, are as follows.
	
		
			  Grants  £000 
			  1997-98  
			 Asylum seekers: various grants 7,166 
			   
			  1998-99  
			 Asylum seekers: various grants 10,403 
			   
			  1999-2000  
			 Asylum seekers 12,912 
			   
			  2000-01  
			 Asylum seekers 15,394 
			   
			  2001-02  
			 Asylum seekers 12,987 
			   
			  2002-03  
			 Asylum seekers 12,454 
			   
			  2003-04  
			 Asylum seekers 8,948 
			   
			  2004-05  
			 Asylum seekers 5,697 
			   
			  2005-06  
			 Asylum seekers 3,698 
			 Young People Substance Misuse Partnership 527 
			   
			  2006-07  
			 Asylum seekers 1,373 
			 Young People Substance Misuse Partnership 458 
		
	
	This table sets out the specific grants inside aggregate external finance (AEF) (i.e. revenue grants paid for councils' core services) paid to Westminster and exclude grants outside AEF such as capital grants, funding for local authorities' housing management responsibilities, European funding; or where authorities are simply one of the recipients of funding paid towards an area. Revenue support grant and other elements of formula grant (such as redistributed business rates and police grant) have also been excluded.
	Revenue outturn data have been used from 1997-98 to 2005-06 (the last year available) and revenue account data have been used for 2006-07.

National Policing Improvement Agency

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress of the National Policing Improvement Agency since becoming fully operational on 1 April.

Tony McNulty: The National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) began its work on 1 April this year and its published Business Plan for 2007-08 includes 15 delivery statements reflecting the strategic priorities of the Police Service and of the tripartite partners in policing—the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), the Association of Police Authorities (APA) and the Home Office. Some good progress has already been made on a number of these, for example:
	The national strategic assessment has been completed and will now be used as a key underpin for the NPIA's work.
	The IMPACT programme has successfully progressed to the stage where it can now proceed with the procurement of the first stage of the police national database.
	Leadership: a major review of the entirety of the NPIA's leadership approach and training has been completed. The next step is to bring the work on leadership and workforce strategy together.
	Serious Crime Analysis Section (SCAS): There is now a nominated senior lead in each force for SCAS. ACPO and NPIA will bring them together to agree a renewed national approach to maximising the way the service is used
	Diversity impact assessment: an impact assessment of the DMA database is underway and NPIA is working closely with the Commission of Racial Equality (CRE) on this work.
	There has also been progress in other areas of NPIA's work. Key performance indicators have been established for both the external and internal strategic priorities of the organisation. The Chief Executive will be providing regular reports of performance and issues facing the Agency.

Offensive Weapons: Custodial Treatment

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many people convicted of carrying a knife in each of the last three years were given  (a) a non-custodial sentence and  (b) a custodial sentence;
	(2)  how many people convicted of carrying knives received the maximum custodial sentence available in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested, for England and Wales, for the years 2003 to 2005, is contained in the table.
	Court proceedings statistics for 2006 will be available in the autumn.
	
		
			  Persons( 1)  sentenced for offences of carrying knives or offensive weapons, by outcome, England and Wales 
			  Offence  Statute  Year  Total persons sentenced  Non-custodial sentence  Custodial sentence  Persons given maximum custodial sentence( 2) 
			 Having an article with a blade or point in a public place Criminal Justice Act 1988 sec 139 as amended by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 sec 3 2003 5,311 4,556 755 1 
			   2004 5,802 4,999 803 — 
			   2005 5,957 4,992 965 1 
			
			 Having an article with a blade or point on school premises Criminal Justice Act 1988 sec139A(1) and (5)(1) as added by the Offensive Weapons Act 1996 sec 4(1) 2003 88 82 6 — 
			   2004 106 94 12 — 
			   2005 45 40 5 — 
			
			 Possession of offensive weapons(3) without lawful authority or reasonable excuse Prevention of Crime Act1953 sec 1 as amended by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 sec 2(1) 2003 5,394 4,634 760 — 
			   2004 5,758 4,941 817 — 
			   2005 5,689 4,860 829 2 
			
			 Possession of offensive weapons(3) without lawful authority or reasonable excuse on school premises Criminal Justice Act 1988 sec139A(2) and (5)(b) as added by the Offensive Weapons Act 1996 sec 4(1) 2003 21 17 4 — 
			   2004 33 29 4 — 
			   2005 30 27 3 — 
			 (1) Principal offence basis. (2) Two years for blade or point offences and four years for offensive weapon offences. (3) Will include knives but information collected centrally does not provide a distinction between them and other offensive weapons.  Source: RDS-NOMS, Home Office

Sexual Offences

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many sexual offences were committed in each police authority area in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The available data relates to sexual offences recorded by the police and are given in the tables.
	
		
			  Table 1: Sexual offences recorded by the police—1997 
			  Police force area  1997 
			 Avon and Somerset 1,000 
			 Bedfordshire 344 
			 Cambridgeshire 390 
			 Cheshire 728 
			 Cleveland 253 
			 Cumbria 229 
			 Derbyshire 528 
			 Devon and Cornwall 808 
			 Dorset 396 
			 Durham 341 
			 Dyfed-Powys 337 
			 Essex 740 
			 Gloucestershire 240 
			 Greater Manchester 1,634 
			 Gwent 470 
			 Hampshire 1,222 
			 Hertfordshire 290 
			 Humberside 758 
			 Kent 770 
			 Lancashire 928 
			 Leicestershire 585 
			 Lincolnshire 329 
			 London, City of 46 
			 Merseyside 906 
			 Metropolitan Police 7,558 
			 Norfolk 487 
			 Northamptonshire 332 
			 Northumbria 562 
			 North Wales 480 
			 North Yorkshire 262 
			 Nottinghamshire 882 
			 South Wales 587 
			 South Yorkshire 611 
			 Staffordshire 544 
			 Suffolk 400 
			 Surrey 499 
			 Sussex 766 
			 Thames Valley 731 
			 Warwickshire 223 
			 West Mercia 751 
			 West Midlands 1,226 
			 West Yorkshire 1,637 
			 Wiltshire 355 
			 Total 33,165 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Sexual offences recorded by the police—1998-99 to 2001-02 
			  Police force area  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02 
			 Avon and Somerset 821 759 930 1,095 
			 Bedfordshire 344 402 382 354 
			 Cambridgeshire 431 418 464 560 
			 Cheshire 625 379 423 384 
			 Cleveland 369 414 354 442 
			 Cumbria 200 224 168 199 
			 Derbyshire 556 546 527 651 
			 Devon and Cornwall 876 936 911 960 
			 Dorset 314 306 327 434 
			 Durham 243 251 238 333 
			 Dyfed-Powys 317 292 304 292 
			 Essex 877 975 852 887 
			 Gloucestershire 344 323 348 267 
			 Greater Manchester 2,142 2,258 2,154 2,466 
			 Gwent 452 503 440 437 
			 Hampshire 1,066 1,384 1,455 1,453 
			 Hertfordshire 321 348 397 392 
			 Humberside 743 717 694 816 
			 Kent 924 872 974 1,003 
			 Lancashire 879 754 936 992 
			 Leicestershire 764 800 651 753 
			 Lincolnshire 393 325 281 414 
			 London, City of 31 21 10 33 
			 Merseyside 1,019 935 982 1,018 
			 Metropolitan Police 8,102 9,189 8,759 9,924 
			 Norfolk 508 415 364 509 
			 Northamptonshire 306 287 271 340 
			 Northumbria 943 983 891 1,030 
			 North Wales 334 373 406 466 
			 North Yorkshire 297 294 289 346 
			 Nottinghamshire 949 987 985 1,046 
			 South Wales 715 581 552 541 
			 South Yorkshire 654 645 624 605 
			 Staffordshire 566 760 818 924 
			 Suffolk 405 389 421 486 
			 Surrey 579 505 653 547 
			 Sussex 911 1,003 1,029 1,034 
			 Thames Valley 879 1,002 1,010 1,099 
			 Warwickshire 194 169 181 199 
			 West Mercia 618 585 537 806 
			 West Midlands 1,985 2,319 2,521 2,985 
			 West Yorkshire 1,774 1,806 1,464 1,532 
			 Wiltshire 404 358 334 378 
			 Total 36,174 37,792 37,311 41,432 
			  Note: 1. The introduction of the revised counting rules in April 1998 expanded offence coverage. These data are not comparable with earlier years 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Sexual offences recorded by the police—2002-03( 1)  to 2005-06 
			  Police force area  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Avon and Somerset 1,570 1,516 1,914 1,533 
			 Bedfordshire 465 516 622 688 
			 Cambridgeshire 694 736 766 799 
			 Cheshire 537 696 927 979 
			 Cleveland 519 767 805 725 
			 Cumbria 214 293 337 358 
			 Derbyshire 882 920 1,160 1,117 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1,149 1,336 1,564 1,527 
			 Dorset 498 579 689 802 
			 Durham 341 362 397 694 
			 Dyfed-Powys 274 434 503 440 
			 Essex 1,165 1,296 1,347 1,371 
			 Gloucestershire 409 403 539 670 
			 Greater Manchester 2,819 3,200 3,470 3,319 
			 Gwent 486 404 560 548 
			 Hampshire 1,810 2,034 2,658 2,701 
			 Hertfordshire 553 644 971 983 
			 Humberside 1,095 1,269 1,403 1,413 
			 Kent 947 1,220 1,766 1,900 
			 Lancashire 1,069 1,337 1,632 1,505 
			 Leicestershire 960 1,000 1,372 1,361 
			 Lincolnshire 583 636 816 703 
			 London, City of 34 30 50 55 
			 Merseyside 1,277 1,284 1,442 1,390 
			 Metropolitan Police 10,410 10,200 10,860 10,293 
			 Norfolk 676 774 889 1,474 
			 Northamptonshire 608 544 642 633 
			 Northumbria 1,371 1,360 1,496 1,431 
			 North Wales 555 569 666 628 
			 North Yorkshire 448 502 557 637 
			 Nottinghamshire 978 1,055 1,294 1,343 
			 South Wales 717 714 866 1,054 
			 South Yorkshire 851 938 1,382 1,543 
			 Staffordshire 963 1,025 1,323 1,306 
			 Suffolk 588 641 620 664 
			 Surrey 598 585 820 765 
			 Sussex 1,148 1,201 1,801 1,655 
			 Thames Valley 1,469 1,618 2,096 2,123 
			 Warwickshire 277 349 435 382 
			 West Mercia 923 949 1,139 1,014 
			 West Midlands 3,033 3,207 3,470 3,483 
			 West Yorkshire 2,106 2,343 2,351 2,522 
			 Wiltshire 558 584 525 580 
			 Total 48,627 52,070 60,942 61,111 
			 (1 )The Sexual Offences Act 2003 introduced in May 2004 altered the definition and coverage of sexual offences, in particular, it redefined indecent exposure as a sexual offence.  Note: 1. Numbers of recorded crime were affected by changes in reporting and recording following the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These data are not comparable with earlier years.

Miscarriages of Justice: Compensation

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice whether an estimate has been made of the total potential liability faced by the Government from claims before the Independent Assessor of Compensation for Miscarriages of Justice; what oversight mechanism is in place to review the assessor's work; what the budget of her office is for 2007-08; how many and what proportion of cases completed in 2006-07 took more than two years to conclude; what the average length of an independent assessment process was over the last five years; in how many open cases interim but not final payments have been awarded; how many cases are before the assessor as at 7 June; how much the assessor was paid in each of the last five years; and how much has been deducted for board and lodging in awards made by the assessor in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It was estimated at 31 March 2007 that the potential liability in respect of compensation for miscarriage of justice was some £25 million. This estimate was based on the number of cases in which the Secretary of State had approved eligibility for compensation and in which the assessor was to make his final assessments. The performance of the independent assessor is monitored by the miscarriages of justice team in the Better Trials Unit of the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. A monthly audit of cases is carried out and regular meetings are held with the assessor. It is also open to any applicant who is dissatisfied with the assessor's handling of their case to seek a judicial review.
	The independent assessor does not have a dedicated support office, but is able to look to the miscarriages of justice team to support him in administrative duties associated with his role. It is the responsibility of applicants to make written submissions to the independent assessor regarding the quantum of their claims, and he cannot make a final assessment until such time as those submissions have been made and agreed. Of the 38 cases in which a final assessment was made in 2006-07, 28 (76 per cent.) took more than two years from eligibility for compensation being approved to the final assessment. Over the five years from 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2007, the average length of the independent assessment process, that is from eligibility being confirmed to final assessment, was three years. As at 7 June there were 116 cases in which eligibility for compensation has been approved but a final assessment not yet made. In 79 of those cases (68 per cent.) one or more interim payments have been made, on application by the applicants. There were 16 cases with the independent assessor for final assessment and three cases in which applications for an interim payment have been made. The total fee payments to the independent assessor in each of the last five years were:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2002-03 62,436 
			 2003-04 24,246 
			 2004-05 20,325 
			 2005-06 77,874 
			 2006-07 92,660 
		
	
	The independent assessor does not make deductions from assessments for 'board and lodgings'. In certain circumstances he makes deductions in respect of saved living expenses. This practice was upheld by the House of Lords in a recent appeal. Central records of the amount of such deductions are not kept.

Departments: Official Cars

Si�n Simon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what make and model of car  (a) he and  (b) each Minister in his Department selected as their official ministerial car; and what criteria were used when making the decision in each case.

Peter Hain: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given today (UIN 141990) by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Transport (Dr. Ladyman).

Railways: Ashford Kent

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received on the future of passenger train services to Brussels from Ashford International station.

Tom Harris: I have met a number of hon. Members to discuss the issue, which has also been the subject of two adjournment debates in the last eight months. In addition, I have received a small number of letters from hon. Members, and around another 30 letters from members of the public, local authorities and others.

Africa: Education for All Initiative

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the Education for All initiative for Africa.

Edward Balls: With 77 million children out of school, urgent action is needed to achieve universal primary education. The UK has made a long-term 8.billion commitment and is working with developing countries and other donors to develop and fund the long-term plans needed. The EC, World Bank, France, US, and Australia have all joined the international effort by committing new funds to education and private sector companies are working with African countries to support their efforts. Progress is being made: Enrolment in school in sub-Saharan Africa increased by 27 per cent. between 1999 and 2004. But more needs to be done.

Pensions Bill

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost to the Treasury of implementing the effects of Lords Amendments 68 to 76 to the Pensions Bill.

James Purnell: We have not worked out the exact cost of implementing the amendments as they are somewhat contradictory in effect and may be technically deficient. The intended effect would appear to be payment of PPF levels of benefit to qualifying for FAS schemes (costs below). The amendments would also extend the level of benefits to an unspecified number of pension schemes in wind up with a solvent employer, costings for which will not be available until after the report of the review of FAS scheme assets. There would be very significant implementation costs in setting up and running the institutions proposed but these have not been costed.
	Paying PPF level benefits to the current set of qualifying FAS schemes would cost around 2.5 billion in NPV terms (640 million in addition to the budget extension) and 10.6 billion in cash terms (an additional 2.7 billion on the Budget extension).

Social Security Benefits

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average weekly amount of benefit was for an  (a) single pensioner,  (b) married pensioner,  (c) single person under pensionable age,  (d) married couple under pensionable age and  (e) married couple with children (i) in 1997 and (ii) at the latest available date.

James Purnell: pursuant to the reply ,  18 May 2007, Official Report, c .  941W
	The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Average (mean) weekly benefit payments to claimants in Great Britain 
			   
			   1997-98  2005-06 
			 Single pensioner 96 145 
			 Married pensioner couple 134 192 
			 Single non-pensioner 94 110 
			 Married non-pensioner couple 53 61 
			 Married non-pensioner couple with children 41 48 
			  Notes: 1.Data for 1997-98 was collected between April 1997 and March 1998 and data for 2005-06 was collected between April 2005 and March 2006. 2.The Family Resources Survey (FRS) is a nationally representative sample of approximately 28,000 households. 3.Pensioner couple is defined as a couple where the head of the benefit unit is over pension age, defined as 60 for women and 65 for men. 4.Married couples include Civil Partnerships in 2005-06. 5.The estimates are based on sample counts that have been adjusted for non-response using multi-purpose grossing factors which align the FRS to Government Office Region populations by age and sex. Estimates are subject to sampling error and remaining non-response error. 6.Figures are mean-averages of weekly benefits received by claimants only (i.e. excluding non-claimants) and have been rounded to the nearest 1. Figures for couples are average weekly benefit amounts per couple. 7.Figures for weekly benefits include both income-related and non-income related benefits but exclude tax credits.  Source: Family Resources Survey: Great Britain 1997-98 and 2005-06.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department has conducted comparative research on the cost to the NHS of treating the effects of addiction to alcohol and tobacco.

Caroline Flint: The Department, in partnership with the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA), published Models of Care for Alcohol Misusers in November 2005. Models of Care was informed by the review of the effectiveness of treatment for alcohol problems commissioned by the NTA. Both publications have been placed in the Library and are available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Policyandguidance/Healthandsocialcaretopics/Alcoholmisuse/Alcoholmisusegeneralinformation/DH_4130659
	www.nta.nhs.uk/publications/documents/nta_review_alcohol_problems_fullreport__2006_alcohol2.pdf
	The Health Technology Assessment Programme, part of the Department's National Institute for Health Research, is currently supporting two studies looking in part at the cost effectiveness of therapies designed to help people stop smoking. These are:
	a systematic review of the effectiveness and an economic analysis of cut down to quit with nicotine replacement therapies; and
	relapse prevention in NHS stop smoking services: a review of current practice, potential effectiveness and cost effectiveness.

Angina: Medical Treatments

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment  (a) her Department and  (b) the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has made of the use of enhanced external counter pulsation treatment for angina;
	(2)  which primary care trusts fund the provisionof enhanced external counter pulsation treatment;
	(3)  what assessment she has made of the availability of enhanced external counter pulsation treatment for individuals with angina in  (a) South East Essex primary care trust and  (b) primary care trusts which do not provide enhanced external counter pulsation treatment.

Rosie Winterton: Enhanced external counter pulsation (EECP) is not routinely offered to patients with angina by the national health service. There is currently insufficient evidence on the benefits of using EECP to treat angina. Although there is currently insufficient evidence, should this situation change the position can be reviewed. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence were made aware of EECP in 2004, but were unable to pursue an appraisal.
	Most central funding is allocated directly to local primary care trusts (PCTs) and health authorities. Individual PCTs are responsible for funding services that reflect the priorities and needs of the local population. The Department is unable to comment on the funding decisions each PCT makes.

Blood Transfusions

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what factors she will take into account when making a decision on whether to instigate prion filtration in blood transfusion.

Caroline Flint: The Department will take advice on the use of prion reduction filters from independent evaluations recommended by the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee to test the efficacy and reproducibility of the filters, an approach endorsed by Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Blood and Tissues and Organs. The Department will take the following factors into account when considering prion reduction filters: the results of clinical safety trials and whether they indicate no adverse effect on patients with the use of filtered blood; that filtered blood units meet the required product specification; the results of an independent evaluation of the efficacy of the filtered in reducing variant Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease (vCJD) infectivity in blood; estimates of the prevalence of preclinical vCJD or a carrier state in the donor population and consequent estimates of infections prevented through filtration and the benefit of life years saved; the cost of implementation of filtration compared withthe benefit received and the availability of other technologies to reduce infectivity in blood.

Blood Transfusions

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Health if her Department will introduce new treatments and technologies to reduce the risk to public health from blood transfusions on the basis of successful patient trials in Europe and the US.

Caroline Flint: NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) has a duty to investigate any new technologies which might improve the safety of the blood supply. Currently, NHSBT is investigating vCJD screening, new filters to remove infectious prions, bacterial screening of platelets and pathogen inactivation of platelets. Such assessments consist of review of manufacturers' data on efficacy and quality of the product, laboratory studies and clinical trials as appropriate. NHSBT might need to perform additional studies. Only licenced methods are considered.
	All blood safety measures are considered by the Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Blood, Tissues, and Organs for Transplantation.

Blood: Contamination

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of the documents rediscoveredby her Department referred to in the Review of Documentation relating to the Safety of Blood Products1970-1985 relate to self-sufficiency; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The review identifies that 20.5 per cent. of papers have been categorised as relating to self sufficiency. The focus of the review was 1970-85, and 90 per cent. of the documents related to this time period, just under 10 per cent. fell outside this timeline.
	Lord Archer has been advised that the Department will release all papers identified in the review, in line with the Freedom of Information Act. The papers will be released to Lord Archer's inquiry as quickly as possible, in batches on a monthly basis.

British Food

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of food served in  (a) buildings occupied by her Department and  (b) NHS hospitals was of British origin in (i) 2005 and (ii) 2006.

Ivan Lewis: 80 per cent. of food served through the approved supplier of catering and hospitality services to the Departmental estate was home-grown and 20 per cent. produced from other countries in 2005 and 2006.
	National health service trusts select the suppliers that provide food for their trust and information relating to the proportion of food served of British origin in all NHS hospitals is not held centrally. However, NHS Supply Chain manages approximately 55 per cent. of the NHS food market, with the balance via facilities management companies and smaller wholesalers. For the period 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006, NHS Supply Chain sourced 59 per cent. of meat from the United Kingdom, while the remainder was imported. The organisation sourced forty per cent of fruit and vegetables in the UK, while 60 per cent. was imported.

Dental Services

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people accessed open access dental surgeries by health region in the last 12 months.

Rosie Winterton: Information on people accessing open access dental surgeries is not collected centrally. However, information on patients seen in the last24 months in all dental primary care settings is available.
	Numbers of patients seen in the previous 24 months ending 31 March, 30 June, 30 September and 31 December 2006 are available in Section Fl of Annex 3 of the National Health Service Dental Statistics for England Q3: 31 December 2006 report, and copies are available in the Library.
	Information is as at strategic health authority and primary care trust level in England and the report, published by The Information Centre for health and social care, is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/primary-care/dentistry/nhs-dental-statistics-for-england-q3:-31-december-2006

Departments: Gateway Reference Number

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many documents coded with a gateway reference number were issued by her Department in each year since 2000.

Ivan Lewis: The information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  External gateway reference numbers issued for the Department for calendar years 2000-06 
			   The Department external gateway reference numbers issued 
			 2000 and 2001(1)  
			 2002(2) 445 
			 2003(2) 887 
			 2004(3) 820 
			 2005(3) 1,045 
			 2006(3) 1,148 
			 (1) For years 2000 and 2001: no figures available as the Department's external gateway was introduced in December 2001. (2) For years 2002 and 2003: the figures include all documents received by the Department's external gateway; and the way the data is captured does not allow reference numbers issued to arms length bodies, other Government Departments and external organisations to be excluded. (3) The Department's external gateway database was introduced in August 2003 and the quality of data is much more robust for years 2004-06 and not comparable to pre-August 2003. 
		
	
	The table highlights the number of documents/communications approved for publication/issue to the national health service/social care and that receiveda departmental external gateway reference number. However, these figures do not represent actual documents/communications issued, as the publication of some could have been re-considered following approval.
	In addition, the majority of approved documents/communications are not directly issued to the NHS/social care as individual communications. Instead, brief summaries of the document are communicated via weekly, monthly or quarterly bulletins, with web addresses where more detailed information can be found. In some instances, documents may be approved simply for publication on the Department website only.
	No one in the NHS will receive all of these documents/communications. The vast majority are targeted to specific organisations. For example, some will go to ambulance trusts, some to primary care trusts, some to strategic health authorities and so on. The communications are then further targeted sothat only the appropriate audience within those organisations receive the documents, for example, cancer leads, public health leads, mental health leads, chief executives, finance directors etc.

Departments: Internet

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for which Government websites she is responsible; how many visitors each received in the latest period for which figures are available; and what the cost  (a) was of establishing and  (b) has been of maintaining each site.

Ivan Lewis: The Department has ownership of two main websites. They are:
	
		
			  1: The Department of Health website (www.dh.gov.uk) 
			   Visits 
			 2004-05 8,643,914 
			 2005-06 10,980,854 
			 2006-07 10,168,508 
		
	
	 Costs:
	(a) the cost of establishing the Departmental corporate website site on a new service in 2006-07 was 1,570,000
	(b) the cost of maintaining the existing service in parallel in 2006-07 was 2,343,643. This includes the cost of contingency arrangements due to the late delivery of the new service, most of which will be recovered in compensation from the supplier.
	
		
			  2. The NHS website (www.nhs.uk) 
			   Visits 
			 2005-06 12,404,000 
			 2006-07 17,657,409 
		
	
	 Costs:
	The cost in 2006-07 (covering development, content, delivery and staffing) was 1.7 million.
	In addition to the two main websites (above), the Department funds and/or manages a further 111 websites.
	The Department is actively engaged in reducing this number of sites, in accordance with the guidelines and timetables set for website rationalisation under Transformational Government.
	Indeed, the Department has already shutdown27 websites and has plans in place to terminate 53 sites out of the 111 figure above. By the end of this project in 2011, all 111 sites will either be closed or migratedto DH.gov.uk, NHS.uk, NHS Direct, Directgov or Business Link.
	The information in the table lists visitor figures for 35 sites. To assemble the statistics for the other sites would incur disproportionate cost.
	The total estimated cost for these websites in 2006-07 was 699,134. This cost is approximate and cannot be broken down further. Some sites include campaign expenditure and start-up funding and therefore costs will be spread over a period of years.
	
		
			  Other Department of health websites: Average monthly visits, 2006-07 
			   Visits 
			 www.hepc.nhs.uk 6,750 
			 www.immunisation.nhs.uk 35,000 
			 www.gosmokefree.co.uk (1)67,500 
			 www.condomessentialwear.co.uk (1)81,000 
			 www.stayinghard.info (1)103,000 
			 www.talktofrank.com (1)443,000 
			 www.uglysmoking.info (1)123,000 
			 www.breastfeeding.nhs.uk 3,250 
			 www.nhsidentity.nhs.uk 6,000 
			 www.photolibrary.nhs.uk 200 
			 www.mmrthefacts.nhs.uk 20,000 
			 www.nhscommslink.nhs.uk 1,625 
			 www.pathologyimprovement.nhs.uk 1,500 
			 www.clean-safe-care.nhs.uk 850 
			 www.18weeks.nhs.uk 9,000 
			 www.socialworkandcare.co.uk (1)23,000 
			 www.smokefreeengland.co.uk 16,000 
			 www.nhsprocure21.dh.gov.uk 1000 
			 www.nhs-procure21.gov.uk 1500 
			 www.info.doh.gov.uk/doh/iar.nsf?open 150 
			 www.info.doh.gov.uk/doh/notice.nsf/frames2?openform 200 
			 www.info.doh.gov.uk/renalnsf/renaltrans.nsf 36 
			 www.info.doh.gov.uk/doh/depisusers.nsf/Main?readForm 369 
			 www.info.doh.gov.uk/doh/oldpeople.nsf/main?readform 138 
			 www.info.doh.gov.uk/pathology/patdis01.nsf 329 
			 www.info.doh.gov.uk/publichealth/hidis.nsf 197 
			 www.advisorybodies.doh.gov.uk 64,000 
			 www.info.doh.gov.uk/cmo/CMOUpdate.nsf/RegistrationMenu?OpenForm 61 
			 www.info.doh.gov.uk/Cvts/VTSPCW.nsf 24 
			 www.info.doh.gov.uk/doh/embroadcast.nsf 1,150 
			 www.info.doh.gov.uk/nhs/cdoweb.nsf/Main?OpenFrameset 181 
			 www.info.doh.gov.uk/nhsfactsheets.nsf 2,600 
			 www.info.doh.gov.uk/sar/cmopatie.nsf 3,039 
			 www.nationalleadershipnetwork.org 800 
			 www.performance.doh.gov.uk 96,000 
			 Total monthly visits 1,112,449 
			 (1) Peak figure when running campaigns.

Departments: Manpower

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff funded by the public purse in her Department are classified as people without posts.

Ivan Lewis: The Department currently has47 people not in permanent posts but carrying out meaningful work across the organisation until a permanent post can be identified to which they are then deployed.

Doctors: Training

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 May 2007,  Official Report, column 582W, on the Medical Training Application Service (MTAS) website, whether her Department monitors the number of visitors to the MTAS website; and what other information about visits to the MTAS website her Department monitors.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 6 June 2007
	The Department's supplier monitors the number of visitors to the Medical Training Application Service website and page visits. The total, average daily visits and peak daily visits are reported to the Department monthly. The most recent figures are for the month of April and are shown in the table.
	
		
			   April 
			 Total number of visits to the website in period 245,314 
			 Average number of visits per day within the period 8,177 
			 Peak number of visits in one day within the period 22,423 
			 Cumulative number of users registered 51,474

Health Services

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to maintain patient care when all junior doctors move posts on 1 August.

Rosie Winterton: To ensure service is maintained at the beginning of August and patient care is not compromised, strategic health authorities are working with trusts and NHS Employers are working with the Department to plan now for managing the transitionin the period after 1 August. These plans include advertising locum posts on NHS Jobs to fill training posts and using extensions to contracts or service posts.
	Not all doctors in training will change jobs on the same date at the beginning of August. Arrangements for 2007 will reflect current practice as most doctors at the level equivalent to the senior house officer grade will start in the first week of August, while doctors at the equivalent of the specialist registrar grade will have staggered start dates.

Health Visitors

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effect of the conclusions of Agenda for Change on  (a) roles and functions and  (b) pay and conditions of health visitors.

Rosie Winterton: The Agenda for Change pay system does not specify the roles or functions of staff. But it does provide an objective means of determining the weight of jobs whose role and function is determined by the employer, and therefore the pay band in which those jobs should be placed. To assist employers in objectively assessing health visitor jobs, two national job profiles have been prepared for typical health visitor roles, which would fall in pay band 6 and pay band 7. Health visitors whose jobs match these profiles would have basic pay in the ranges of 23,458 to 31,779 and 28,313 to 37,326 (1 November 2007) respectively.

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Health what the purpose is of the web based surveillance system for  Clostridium difficile and MRSA; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Web-based reporting systemswere introduced for all cases of  Clostridium difficile associated disease in patients aged two years and over from April 2007 and for all cases of bloodstream infection caused by methicillin-resistant  Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from October 2005.
	These web-based systems replace the quarterly reports sent by trusts to the Health Protection Agency regional offices. They have been introduced to support initiatives to control and prevent healthcare associated infections. These systems allow more efficient collection of reports and enable trusts to enter data at any time and view their own data. They provide trusts with a more accurate picture and contribute to building a better evidence base regarding risk factors for infection as trusts can see the data to assess the effectiveness of the interventions to reduce infections.

Junior Doctors: Taunton

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many junior doctors are registered in Taunton constituency.

Rosie Winterton: The General Medical Council (CMC) keeps an up-to-date register of qualified doctors; all doctors must be registered with the CMC before they can work in the United Kingdom. Further information on the CMC can be found at:
	www.gmc-uk.org
	The number of doctors in training and equivalent grades employed by national health service organisations within Taunton constituency is shown in the table.
	Hospital and community health services (HCHS): medical and dental staff, showing doctors in training and equivalent grades for NHS organisations within Taunton constituency as at 30 September 2006.
	
		
			  Number (headcount) 
			   Total  Yeovil District  Hospital NHS Foundation Trust  Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust 
			 All staff 568 185 383 
			 Doctors in training and equivalents of which: 269 75 194 
			 Registrar group 76 10 66 
			 Senior house officer 133 31 102 
			 Foundation year two 19 19 0 
			 House officer 41 15 26 
			  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care medical and dental workforce census.

Medical Training Application Service

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her answer of 16 May 2007,  Official Report, columns 613-7, on the Medical Training Application Service, how many training posts, in addition to those remaining from the 23,500 available after Round 1, there will be in Round 2; and when Round 2 interviews will commence.

Rosie Winterton: Interviews for the further recruitment round will be managed locally and will start once the offers for each individual specialty in round one have been accepted or rejected. The number of additional training posts will include at least200 run-through posts plus substantial further opportunities.

NHS Work Force

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 26 February 2007,  Official Report, column 1121W, on the NHS work force, when she expects the East of England strategic health authority to complete its feasibility study into establishing a local voluntary guaranteed employment scheme; whether she plans to publish the study; and when her Department plans to take a decision on the viability of such schemes.

Rosie Winterton: One of the recommendations of The Action Plan - A Social Partnership Forum Action Plan for Maximising Employment Opportunitiesfor Newly Qualified Healthcare Professionals in a Changing NHS published on 13 April is that Eastof England strategic health authority undertake a feasibility study to maximise employment opportunities for newly qualified health care professionals. This will include assessing the feasibility of an employment guarantee scheme for newly qualified health care professionals.
	The feasibility study will last for one year and was officially launched on 15 May by East of England strategic health authority.
	The outcome of the feasibility study will determine whether employment guarantee schemes are a viable option. If so, the nature and length of these schemes will be defined upon relevant factors established through the study.
	Stakeholder representatives on the social partnership forum will be involved in this decision-making process and the final outcome, once known, will be published.

NHS: Training

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the ratio of speciality training to fixed term speciality training appointments is by speciality in England.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested in show in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage split of posts by post type 
			Post types (percentage) 
			  Specialty  Theme  Specialty training  Fixed-term specialist training appointment (FTSTA)  Academic 
			 Acute care common stem (ACCS) Acute medicine 83 17 0 
			  Anaesthesia 80 20 0 
			  Emergency medicine 70 29 1 
			  Intensive care medicine 0 100 0 
			 Acute medicine  100 0 0 
			 Allergy  100 0 0 
			 Anaesthesia  71 28 0 
			 Audiological medicine  67 0 33 
			 Cardiology  98 0 2 
			 Cardiothoracic surgery  83 0 17 
			 Chemical pathology  100 0 0 
			 Child and adolescent psychiatry  100 0 0 
			 Clinical genetics  80 0 20 
			 Clinical neurophysiology  88 0 13 
			 Clinical oncology  L97 0 3 
			 Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics  75 0 25 
			 Clinical radiology  96 0 4 
			 Core medical training  65 34 1 
			 Dermatology  100 0 0 
			 Emergency medicine  94 6 0 
			 Endocrinology and diabetes  97 0 3 
			 Forensic psychiatry  96 0 4 
			 Gastroenterology  100 0 0 
			 General adult psychiatry  99 0 1 
			 General practice  100 0 0 
			 General surgery  99 0 1 
			 Genito-urinary medicine  100 0 0 
			 Geriatric medicine  97 0 3 
			 Haematoloqy  95 0 5 
			 Histopathology  100 0 0 
			 Immunology  80 0 20 
			 Infectious diseases  100 0 0 
			 Infectious diseases and medical microbiology and virology (MMV) Medical microbiology 100 0 0 
			 Infectious diseases and MMV Virology 50 0 50 
			 Medical microbiology and virology  87 13 0 
			 Medical microbiology and virology  100 0 0 
			 Medical oncology  75 0 25 
			 Medical ophthalmology  100 0 0 
			 Neurology  90 0 10 
			 Neurosurgery  60 39 1 
			 Nuclear medicine  100 0 0 
			 Obstetrics and gynaecology  85 14 1 
			 Occupational medicine  100 0 0 
			 Old age psychiatry  100 0 0 
			 Ophthalmology  59 40 0 
			 Oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS)  78 22 0 
			 Otolaryngology (ENT)  98 0 2 
			 Paediatric cardiology  100 0 0 
			 Paediatric surgery  100 0 0 
			 Paediatrics  72 28 1 
			 Palliative medicine  100 0 0 
			 Plastic surgery  98 0 2 
			 Psychiatry  67 32 1 
			 Psychiatry of learning disability  100 0 0 
			 Psychotherapy  100 0 0 
			 Public health  90 0 10 
			 Rehabilitation medicine  96 0 4 
			 Renal medicine  93 0 7 
			 Respiratory Medicine  100 0 0 
			 Rheumatology  96 0 4 
			 Sports and exercise medicine  100 0 0 
			 Surgery in general Cardiothoracic Surgery 3 97 0 
			 Surgery in general General surgery 33 66 1 
			 Surgery in general Generic 56 42 2 
			 Surgery in general Otolaryngology (ENT) 36 62 2 
			 Surgery in general Paediatric surgery 45 55 0 
			 Surgery in general Plastic surgery 38 61 1 
			 Surgery in general Trauma and orthopaedic surgery 41 59 0 
			 Surgery in general Urology 41 57 3 
			 Trauma and orthopaedic surgery  98 0 2 
			 Urology  96 0 4 
			   14,600 4,400 200 
			 Grand total  (76) (23) (1)

Social Services: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much was allocated to Warrington borough council to fund social services in each year since 1997, broken down by funding stream;
	(2)  how much funding was allocated to Warrington borough council to provide services for  (a) adults with learning difficulties and  (b) children and young people with learning difficulties in each year since 1997.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 11 June 2007
	The Government do not make allocations to social care (other than for relatively limited specific grants) but only for local government as a whole.
	Within those allocations, it is for local councils to fund and provide appropriate services for their population in the light of local needs and priorities.
	Overall, local councils will receive more than65 billion in 2007-08, a 4.9 per cent. increase on 2006-07.

vCJD: Blood

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to be in a position to make a decision on the steps her Department will take to reduce the risk of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease transmission via the transfusion of blood from asymptomatic carriers.

Caroline Flint: There is currently no validated diagnostic test that would allow blood donors tobe assessed as asymptomatic carriers of variant Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease (vCJD). Therefore, together with the National Blood Service, the Department has introduced a range of measures to minimise the possible risk of secondary vCJD infection through the blood supply. In July 1998 the Department announced that plasma for the manufacture of blood products, such as clotting factors, would be obtained from non-United Kingdom sources. Since October 1999, white blood cells (which may carry the greatest risk of transmitting vCJD) have been removed from all blood used in transfusion. In August 2002 the Department announced that fresh frozen plasma for treating babies and young children born after 1 January 1996 would be obtained from the United States of America, and from summer 2005 this was extended to all children under 16 years of age. In December 2002, the Department completed its purchase of the largest remaining independent USA plasma collector, Life Resources Incorporated to secure long-term supplies of non-UK blood plasma for the benefit of national health service patients. Since April 2004, blood donations have not been accepted from people who have themselves received a blood transfusion in the UK since 1980. This was extended in August 2004 to include apheresis donors and donors who are unsure if they had previously had a blood transfusion. Since late 2005, blood donations have not been accepted from donors whose blood was transfused to patients who later developed vCJD.
	The Department will continue to consider further steps to ensure the safety of the blood supply as new evidence or suitable technologies become available.